Electronic clock apparatus

ABSTRACT

12 GROUPS OF TIME INDICATING ELEMENTS ARE CONSTITUTED BY COMBINING 5 &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;MINUTE&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; INDICATING ELEMENTS WITH EACH OF 12 &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;HOUR&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; INDICATING ELEMENTS. One terminal of the time indicating elements included in the respective groups is commonly connected to a first connecting means and the opposite terminal of the corresponding time indicating elements each present in the respective groups is commonly connected to a second connecting means. Hour and minute indicating signals from a time counting device of an electronic clock apparatus are supplied, in a time dividing fashion, through the first and second connecting means to the corresponding time indicating element.

United States Patent [191 Kas hio 1 ELECTRONIC CLOCK APPARATUS [75] Inventor: Toshio Kashio, Tokyo, Japan [73] Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.,

l-ligashiyamato, Japan 22 Filed: Mar. 12,1974 [21] Appl. No.: 450,441

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data [451 Nov. 18, 1975 3,765,163 10/1973 Levine et al. 58/50 R Primary ExaminerStephen .1. Tomsky Assistant Examiner-U. Weldon Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Flynn & Frishauf ABSTRACT 12 groups of time indicating elements are constituted by combining 5 minute indicating elements with each of '12 hour indicating elements. One terminal of the time indicating elements included in the respective groups is commonly connected to a first connecting means and the opposite terminal of the corresponding time indicating elements each present in the respective groups is commonly connected to a second connecting means. Hour and minute indicating signals from a time counting device of an electronic clock apparatus are supplied, in a time dividing fashion, through the first and second connecting means to the corresponding time indicating element.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures US Patent Nov. 18,1975 Sheet10f3 3,919,835

FIG.1

COUNTER US. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 Sheet20f3 3,919,835

IITO OR i? ELECTRONIC CLOCK APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates toan electronic clock apparatus for indicating time by supplying outputs of a time counting device selectively to a plurality of optical time indicating elements.

The time indication of a conventional clock is effected by an hour indicating short hand and minute indicating long hand. In contrast, there has been developed an electronic clock apparatus of the type in which optical time indicating elements such as light emitting diodes, liquid crystal elements etc. are selectively displayed by output signals from a time counting device. For example, 12 light emitting diodes are arranged in a closed loop on a time display panel to constitute an hour indicating section and, outside of the hour indicating section, 60 light emitting diodes are arranged in a closed loop to form a minute indicating section. An hour indicating signal from the time counting device is applied selectively to the 12 light emitting diodes to provide an hour indication and, at the same time, a minute indicating signal is applied selectively to the 60 light emitting diodes to provide a minute indication.

With the so constructed clock apparatus, at least 72 circuit lines are required to selectively supply 72 kinds of time indicating signals in a variety of combinations from the time counting device to the 72 individual display elements so that time can be displayed on the time display panel. For example, where the time counting device is embodied in an IC form, difficulty is presented in making an electrical connection between a highly integrated circuit and each display element. This provides a barrier to the miniaturization of the time counting device per se. Furthermore, where the time counting device is provided separately from the time display elements, the corresponding connection line is lengthened. This provides a cause for trouble and, in addition, added cost is involved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is accordingly the object of this invention to provide an electronic clock apparatus capable of providing for the miniaturization of a time counting device and a reduction of costs by making an electrical connection between the time counting device and a plurality of display elements using a lesser number of circuit lines.

The object of this invention can be attained by an lelectronic clock apparatus comprising a time counting device, a plurality of hour indicating elements arranged in a closed loop so as to be responsive to an hour signal from the time counting device; a plurality of groups of indicating elements for indicating both minutes and seconds, each group being associated with a respective hour indicating element so as to be responsive to a minute signal and a second signal from the time counting device, a respective group of minute and second indicating elements together with at least one-hour indicating element constituting a set of time indicating elements; a first connecting means connected in common to one electrode of the time indicating elements included in a respective set; a second connecting means connected in common to another electrode of the corresponding time indicating elements each present in the respective sets; and a time division control means for supplying in a time division fashion'the hour, minute and second signals from the time counting device to the corresponding time indicating elements via said connecting means.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the time display section of a clock apparatus according to one embodiment of this invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are a schematic circuit diagram of the embodiment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit diagram of another embodiment of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1, 60 light emitting diodes M0, M1, M2 M59 for minute indication are equidistantly arranged in a closed loop fashion along the peripheral edge of a disc-like time indicating panel 1 of an electronic clock apparatus. Within the closed loop of the light emitting diodes M0 M59, additional light emitting diodes T0, R1 T11 for hour indication are equidistantly arranged in a closed loop fashion. The light emitting area of the light emitting diodes T0 T11 can be made larger than that of the light emitting diodes M0 M59, as shown in the Figure. The diode T0 indicates 0 or 12 oclock; the diode T1,...1 oclock; the diode T2, 2 oclock T11, 11 oclock, while the diode M0 indicates 0 minute; the diode M1, 1 minute; the diode M2, 2 minutes the diode M59, 59 minutes. For example, if the diodes T0, T1, T2 T11 are arranged on the time indicating panel 1 so as to align with the diodes M0, M5, M10 M55, respectively, time can be read out as in the conventional clock. 12 electrode plates E0, E1 Ell are disposed on the time display panel 1 so as to correspond to the hour indicating diodes T0 T11, respectively. The respective cathode of the hour indicating diode T0 and minute indicating diodes M0-M4 is connected directly to the electrode plate E0; and the respective cathode of the hour indicating diode T1 and minute indicating diodes M5-M9, to the electrode plate E1; and so on.

In FIGS. 2A and 2B, the cathodes of the six diodes T0 and M0-M4 are connected through the electrode plate E0 shown in FIG. 1 to the output terminal of an inverter I1, and six diodes T1 and M5-M9 are connected through the electrode plate E1 to the output terminal of an inverter 12. Likewise, the other diodes TZ-Tll and M10-M59 are connected through the respective electrode plates E2-E11 to the respective output terminal of inverters 13-112. The respective input terminals of the inverters Il-Il2 are connected to the output terminals of 12 OR gates ORl-OR12, respectively. The output t3 of a counter C6 is fed in common to the anode of the hour indicating diodes T0-T11. The output of the OR gate OR13 is fed in common to the anode of the minute indicating diodes M0, M5, M10 M55. Likewise, the outputs of the OR gates OR14-OR17 are fed in common to the anodes of the diodes (M1, M6 M56), (M2, M7. M57), (M2, M7. M57) and (M4, M9 M59), respectively. The outputs of AND gates Al and A6 are connected to the inputs of the OR gateORlS, the outputs of AND gates A2 and A7, the inputs of the OR gate OR14; the outputs of AND gates A3 and A8, the inputs of the OR gate OR15; the outputs of AND gates A4 and A9, the inputs of the OR gate OR16; and the outputs of AND gates A5 and A10, the inputs of the OR gate OR17. The output t1 of the counter C6 is coupled to one input terminal of the vAND gates A1 toA5 and the output t2 of the counter C6 is coupled to one input terminal of the AND gates A6 to A10. The output t1 of the counter C6 is also connected in common to one input terminal of 12 AND gates A11, A12 A22 and the output t2 of the counter C6 is connected in common to one input terminal of 12 AND gates 31-42. The output t3 is connected in common to one input terminal of 12 AND gates A5- 1-A62. The outputs of the ANDgates All,,A31 and A51 are connected to the inputs of the OR gate ORl; and the outputs of the AND gates A12, A32 and A52, the inputs of the OR gate Or2. Likewise, the outputs of the AND gates A13 to A22, A33 to A42 and A53 to A62 are connected to the inputs of OR gates R3 to OR12, respectively.

The counter C6 is, for example, a scale of 3 counter consisting of three flip-flop circuits and is adapted to count the number of output pulses from a pulse oscillating circuit 2. When, in the case of a light emitting diode, the frequency fed from the pulse oscillating'circuit 2 to the counter C6 is set, for example, to about 1 kHz,

I three outputs t1, t2 and t3 of equal interval are sequentially supplied, according to an input pulse interval (about 1 in sec), from the three flip-flop circuits which constitute the counter C6.

- There will be explained a time counting device used in the electronic clock apparatus.

Aside from the pulse having a frequency of 1 kHz which is supplied to the counter C6, a pulse having an interval of 1 second is supplied from the pulse oscillating circuit 2. The pulse oscillating circuit 2 can be easily obtained, for example, by a combination of a highfrequency oscillator and a plurality of frequency divid ing circuits adapted to divide the oscillation frequency of the high-frequency oscillator to form pulses having equal intervals of 1 second and 1 m second.

A pulse signal having an interval of 1 second is supplied from the pulse oscillating circuit 2 to the input of a scale of counter C1. A carry signal fed fromthe scale of 5 counter C1 at intervals of 5 seconds is supplied to a scale of 12 counter C2. A scale of 60 counter circuit is formed by so combining the scale of 5 counter C1 and scale of 12 counterCZ. A carry signal is delivered at intervals of 1 minute from the counter C2. Five 7 counting value output terminals Cl-() C 1-1, C 1-2, C 1-3 and C1-4 are provided on the counter C1. From the output terminals Cl-O, Cl-l, C1-2, C1-3 and C1-4,

outputs having an interval of 1 second are sequentially delivered on its order. The outputs from the output ter-. minals C1-0 to Cl-4 are coupled to the other input ter minals of the AND gates A1-A5, respectively. On the counter C2, 12 counting value output terminals C2-0, C2-l C2-11 are provided. From the output terminals C2-0 to C2-l l outputs having an interval of 5 seconds are sequentially delivered on its order. These outputs from the output terminals C2-0 to C2-ll are cou pled to the other input terminals of the AND gates A11, A12 A22, respectively.

A- carry signal delivered at intervals of one minute" from the counter C2 is supplied to the input terminal of a counter C3. The counter C3'is a scale of 5 counter having 5 counting value output terminals C3- 0, C3-1 C3-4 and pulses having an interval of 1 minute are fed from the output terminals C3-'0 to C3-4 to the other input terminals of the AND gates A6 to A10. A carry 7 signal is delivered at intervals of 5 minutes from the I counter C3 to the input terminal of a scale of 12 counter C4. The counter C4 has 12 counting value output terminals C4-0, C4-1 C4-11. From these output terminals C4-0 to C4-11, outputs are sequentially delivered on its order for every five minutes and supplied to the other input terminals of the AND gates A31, A32 A42. When 12 pulses are supplied at intervals of 5 minutes to the counter C4, a carry signal appears at a rate of one per hour from the counter C4 and it is delivered to a scale of 12 counter C5. The counter C5 has 12 countingvalue output terminals C5-0, CS-l C5- 11. From these output terminals CS-Oto C5-11, outputs are sequentially delivered at the rate of one per hour and each output is supplied to the other input terminal of the AND gates A51, A52 A62.

Suppose, for example, that the time 55 minutes and 3 seconds past 1 oclock is indicated. An output is fed from the output terminal C5-1 of the counter C5 to one input terminal of the AND gate A52. A time division indication instruction signal t3 having an interval of 1 m sec is supplied from the output terminal C6 3 of the counter C6 to the other input terminal of the AND gate A52. Consequently, a pulse signal is fed, at intervals of l m sec, from the AND gate A52 through OR gate OR2 to an inverter 12. The pulse signal is inverted at the inverter 12 to a negative polarity and the inverted signal is fed through electrode plate E1 simultaneously to the cathodes of the diodes T1 and M5-M9. Since the time division indication instruction signal t3 is also supplied from the terminal C6-3 of the counter C6 to the anode of the diode T1, the hour indicating diode T1 is flashed in a cycle of 3 m sec (i.e. lighted for l m sec and extin guished for the remaining 2 m sec) whereby the time 1 oclock is indicated. The flash of the diode T1 is seen as being continuously lighted, when viewed from the human eyes. An output appears also from the output terminal 04-11 of the counter C4 and it is delivered, together with the time division'indication instruction output t2 of the counter C6, to the AND gate A42. Consequently, an output is fed at intervals of l m sec from the AND gate A42 to the OR gate OR12 and then to the inverter 112. A pulse signal having a negative polarity is intermittently supplied, at intervals of l m sec, from inverter 112 through electrode plate Ell simultaneously to the diodes T11 and M55-M59. An output is supplied also from the output terminal C3-0 of the counter C3, together with the time division indication instruction signal t2, to the AND'gate A6. A pulse signal is supplied, at a time interval corresponding to the signal t2, from the AND gate A6 through OR gate OR13 to the anode of the diode M55. Consequently, the minute indicating diode M55 is intermittently flashed at a time interval corresponding to the signal t2,

whereby the time 55 minutes is indicated. An output is also fed from the output terminal C1-3 of the second counter C1, together with the time division indication 4 the diodes T0 and M0 to M4, whereby the diode M3 provides the second indication under the presence of the time division indication instruction signal t1. since the counting value of the counter C1 is varied for each 1 second and the counting value of the counter C2 is varied at intervals of 5.se conds,wthe;diodes M to M59 are sequentially flashed on, its order to thereby provide the second indicationqlt is to be noted that. in FIGS. 2A and 2B those diodes other than the selected diodes are reverse biased and extinguished. i

Referring to FIGS. 1 and'ZAand 2B, the cathodes of the 72 diodes TO-Tl 1 and M0-M59 are grouped into 12 groups, each group being connected to the respective electrode plate (E0-El1) in a manner that the 6 cathodes present in the respective group are connected in common to the corresponding electrode plate. The anodes of the 72 diodes are divided into 6 groups in a manner that the corresponding 12 diodes each derived from the respective l2-diode groups are commonly connected. As a result, only 18 circuit lines are necessary in making an electrical connection between the time indicating section as shown in a dotted line and the remaining time counting circuit section. This provides a greater advantage where the time counting device including time counters is embodied into an LS1 form and the time indicating section is provided separately from the time counting device.

Though with the above-mentioned embodiment the cathodes of the diodes are connected in common to the respective electrode plate, the anodes of the diodes may be connected in common to the respective electrode plate, instead. In this case, an inverter is connected to respective cathode groups of the light emitting diodes instead of using inverters I1 to I12.

With the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the light emits-.-

ting diode is used as an optical time indicating element. However, even if use is made of a liquid crystal indicating element, the invention can be equally put into practice.

FIG. 3 indicates this embodiment in which the same reference numeral is used to denote parts or elements corresponding to those shown in FIG. 2B. It is to be noted that, since in the case of a liquid crystal a response to an input signal is slow, a counter C6 is required to be operated at a frequency of about 60 Hz. In

FIG. 3 there are provided liquid crystal hour indicating elements TLO to TLll corresponding to the hour indicating diodes T0 to T11 of FIG. 28. One electrode of the liquid crystal hour indicating elements TLO to TLll is connected in common to the output terminal C6-3 of the counter C6, while the opposite electrode thereof is connected through respective electrode plate to the output terminal of AND gates A71 to A82. 60 liquid crystal minute indicating elements MLO to ML59 corresponding to the minute indicating diodes M0 to M59 of FIG. 2B are divided into 12 groups, each consisting of elements. One electrode of the corresponding liquid crystal minute indicating elements each included in the respective l2 element groups is connected in common to the respective output terminal of the OR gates OR13 to OR17. The opposite electrodes of the 7.2 liquid crystal time indicating elements are divided into 12 groups, each group being connected through the respective electrode plate in common to the output terminal of the respective AND gates A71 to A82. One input terminal of the respective AND gates A71 to A82 is connected to the output terminal of the respective inverters l1 to I12, while the other input terminal of the AND gates A71 to A82 is connected in common to the output terminal of a high frequency 05- cillator 3. The high frequency oscillator 3 is adapted to obtain a signal having a frequency sufficient to forcefully stop the time indicating operation of the liquid crystal time indicating elements otherthan those liquid Lcrystal time indicating elements whichnow give a time ple, that the time .55 minutes and 3 seconds past I oclock is. indicated. -An ,output is delivered from the AND gate A22-=through OR gate OR12 to the inverter Il2 an'd the AND gate A82 is rendered to close by an outputi'of negative polarity from the inverter I12.\This prevents a high frequency pulse of the high frequency oscillator 3 from appearing at the output side of the AND gate A82. Consequently, the liquid crystal time indicating elements TLll and ML55 to ML59 connected to the output of the AND gate A82 are put into a time representable state. A pulse signal is also applied from the AND gate A6 through OR gate OR13 to one electrode of the liquid crystal time indicating element ML55 whereby the element ML55 represents the time 55 minutes. Since, at this time,'no input is applied to the inverters I1-I11, a gate signal is supplied from the inverters Il-Ill to the AND gates A71 to A81 and a high frequency signal is supplied from the oscillator 3 to one electrode of the liquid crystal time indicating elements TL-O to TL-lO and ML-O to ML- 54 to thereby render these time indicating elements in a disabled state. The other operations are the same as in the above-mentioned embodiment and any further explanation is therefore omitted. Though with the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 use is made of 12 hour indicating elements and 60 minute indicating elements, the time indication may be provided by varying the number of the respective hour and minute indicating elements. A time counting device is constructed by connecting together a plurality of scale of 5 and scale of 12 counters in a variety of combinations. However, a scale of 60 counter may be directly used instead. Between the time counter device and the AND gate of the time counting signal distribution circuit a decoder may be inserted as required. Though with the embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B the time indicating elements (T0 and M0 to M4), (T1 and M5 to M9) are connected to the electrode plates E0, E1 respectively, for example, the time indicating elements (TO and M55 to M59), (T1 and M0 to M4) may be connected to the electrode plates E0, E1, respectively. This invention is likewise reduced to practice by connecting 2 hour indicating elements and 10 minute indicating elements. to each of six electrode plates. That is, the output lines of the time counting device may be connected in a variety of ways so as to reduce the circuit lines to about 18 in number.

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic clock apparatus comprising:

a source of standard clock signals;

a time counting device counting said standard clock signals and generating hour", minute and second signals;

l2 first indicating elements, each of which has a pair of electrodes and which are arranged in a closed loop so as to be responsive to an hour signal from the time counting device;

60 second indicating elements each of which has a pair of electrodes and which are divided into twelve groups, each group constituted by five elements, said groups being arranged in a closed loop so as to indicate both minutes and seconds, responsive to a minute signal and a second signal from the six second connecting means, one of which connects the other electrodes of the first indicating elements and the other five of which connect each of the other electrodes of the corresponding second indicating elements of different groups; and a time division control means coupled to said time counting device for selectively supplying in a time division fashion the hour, minute and second signals from the time counting device to the corresponding first and second indicating elements via said first and second connecting means.

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO. 1 3,919,835

DATED 1 November 18, 1975 |NVENTOR(5) 3 Toshio Kashio It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Japan" to Tokyo, Japan--.

Signed and Sealed this fourth Day Of May 1976 [SEAL] AIIESI.

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Ofl'izer (mnmissimu'r uflah-HIS and Trademarks UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTIGN Q PATENT NO. 3,919,835

DATED November 18, 1975 |NV.ENTOR(S) 3 Toshio Kashio A It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent 6 are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the initial page of the patent, change the address of the Assignee from "Higashiyamoto,

9 Japan to Tokyo, Japan-.

Signed and fiealcd this fourth Day Of May 1976 o [SEAL] Arrest.

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN 0 Arresting Ojfiter (mnmissr'mu'r uflarums and Trademarks 

1. An electronic clock apparatus comprising: a source of standard clock signals; a time counting device counting said standard clock signals and generating ''''hour'''', ''''minute'''' and ''''second'''' signals; 12 first indicating elements, each of which has a pair of electrodes and which are arranged in a closed loop so as to be responsive to an hour signal from the time counting device; 60 second indicating elements each of which has a pair of electrodes and which are divided into twelve groups, each group constituted by five elements, said groups being arranged in a closed loop so as to indicate both minutes and seconds, responsive to a minute signal and a second signal from the time counting device; 12 first connecting means, each connecting one of the electrodes of respective first indicating elements to one of the electrodes of each second indicating element of a respective group, thus forming 12 units each consisting of one first indicating element and five second indicating elements; six second connecting means, one of which connects the other electrodes of the first indicating elements and the other five of which connect each of the other electrodes of the corresponding second indicating elements of different groups; and a time division control means coupleD to said time counting device for selectively supplying in a time division fashion the hour, minute and second signals from the time counting device to the corresponding first and second indicating elements via said first and second connecting means. 